Drug Policy Forum of Florida | National/International Organizations

Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1999 11:05:15 -0400
From: jodi james cfcflo@bellsouth.net
Organization: Cannabis Freedom Coalition
Subject: DPFFL: Grandma Lee's Journey
Organization: DrugSense

Grandma Kay Lee's Journey for Justice continues today. She left Melbourne FL this morning on the final leg of her venture. Today she will test the waters at Starke, get a feel for the atmosphere at the prison and check out her safe house.

Kay Lee has been writing prisoners for many years. Her current journey to the Florida Correctional Institute in Starke is a result of her 3 year correspondence with Gary Waid, an inmate at the Starke facility. Gary has been eloquently detailing his experience as a POW on his web page. Continuing reports of violence by Guards and the total disregard for Human Rights has kept prison reform a high priority for compassionate people like Kay. The beating death of Starke prisoner, Frank Valdez, as a result of Guard Brutality prompted Kay to act.

Kay began systematically getting the word out about the conditions at Starke. In letters to the Governor, the Warden and finally, in a plea to the press (to get citizens involved), she has called for real investigations into the conditions at Starke. The atmosphere of concern has empowered 13 other inmates to come forward with their own accounts of the routine beatings administered by guards. Kay will be at the facility at Starke, meeting with other prisoners families and holding vigil until a list of demands are met. "I wish we could do this for the whole country...(make the prison walls transparent)", Kay said in a late night meeting with her support team.

In Melbourne, Kay and her support team made plans to assure her safety and effectiveness. Kevin Aplin and Scott Bledsoe, of the Cannabis Action Network, will assist Kay as she presents her demands to the Warden this week. Supporters will join Kay as she meets with families on Saturday August 21, 1999. CAN attorneys stand ready to advise Kay should the need arise.

Kay will continue to send her reports from the front as she can. For timely information, call 407-253-3673 as I will function as "air support".

Watch for regular updates and support Grandma Lee by joining her at Starke or sending contributions if you can't. Our prison population has surpassed the million mark, America houses a fourth of the worlds prison population. The continuing WAR creates more POW's everyday. Those of us who still enjoy a semblance of freedom must act now to negotiate an end to the WAR and protect the prisoners it has created.

With hope for the future......

Jodi James Melbourne, FL